In application Ser. No. 140,516 an apparatus is disclosed for dissipating the pressure of a confined fluid having a housing with a side wall in a substantially circular crosssectional configuration with a top and bottom. Inlet means is formed into the side wall so that the axis of the inlet is tangent to a diameter of the side wall. An outlet port through the bottom and an opening port through the top are also formed. High pressure fluids entering the inlet form a vortex around the side wall and between the top and the bottom and pass out the outlet under low pressure. Air is introduced through the openings in the top to prevent cavitation within the housing. A device may be coupled to the outlet to reduce the velocity of the fluids leaving the outlet.
In application Ser. No. 218,857 a method and apparatus are disclosed for injecting a low pressure slurry into a high pressure stream to form a high pressure slurry by injecting a high pressure fluid into a chamber. A portion of the high pressure fluid is removed at a central location in the chamber, to form a fluid low pressure vortex. The low pressure slurry is injected into the low pressure vortex where it mixes with the high pressure fluids. The slurry, at a high pressure, is removed from a high pressure outlet.
The parent application describes a system for removing water from a slurry in order to increase the concentration of the slurry. The system operates by injecting the high pressure fluid into and out of a substantially circular chamber while letting part of the fluid exit under low pressure from an outlet mounted with its axis parallel to the axis of the circular chamber. The amount of fluid that is permitted to exit is controlled by a valve mounted in series with the low pressure outlet. The particular valve used provides a uniform reduction of diameter upon closure. In case a vacuum is developed inside the chamber, an apparatus comprising a check valve, permits air to enter the chamber, thereby equalizing the air between the outside and inside of the chamber wall, thereby preventing cavitation. Apparatus is also provided to measure the concentration of the slurry at the high pressure outlet and communicate that information to the control valve so that the control valve will tend to maintain the slurry concentration at a predetermined or preset level.